Tuesday, October 23, 2012

As i've pretty much been absent for the last month or so ,i've decided to "come back" with a unique piece.This beauty,straight from the riveted's vault,is an original Captain's tour jacket from the 50's. US Navy souvenir/tour jackets are plenty full ,in fact as numerous as crew members right !? As for a Captain's jacket, it's another game as there's only one on board ...this jacket is very special to me,as my nickname back in the days was "Captain" .

The Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet, was established after the First World War and went under this designation until April 1962 when it was renamed destroyer cruiser force.

Between the years 1946 and 1953 the U.S.S. CORRY operated over practically the entire North Atlantic Ocean,as part of the destroyer force of the Atlantic fleet. She also made three cruises to the Mediterranean for a sum total of sixteen months. While there, the men of the CORRY visited every major port from Gibraltar to Suez and back again. Then for two and one-half years she operated out of Pensacola, Florida, while she trained reservists and assisted carrier groups as they qualified air cadets.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

While visiting in Nice last month,i took the time of course,to stop at the local weekly fleamarket held every Monday on the beautiful "court Saleya"...Nothing mind blowing there and certainly not in the vintage clothing field,beside some high end vintage clothing for women that is .Anyway,i managed to score an amazing original etching from one of my all time favorite artists the great Dignimont .Needless to say the vendor had ,thx God,no idea about who did this nice piece of art ,as it's not signed.I recognized Dignimont's work at first glance and made a ridiculous offer that was accepted ....lucky me .

André Dignimont studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. His work consists largely of nudes and Parisian scenes in the manner of Jules Pascin,another one of my favorites along with Gus Bofa under whose influence he became one of the foremost illustrators of the period. André Dignimont was also using pochoirs and watercolors on his original etchings for a variety of projects such as illustrations he did for his friend Francis Carco, whose underrated novels of Paris low-life are full of street slang and sleaze,ideal the artist's style. Dignimont/Carco was and still is,what i consider the perfect collaboration for this kind of book .....